Some interviews scare me. Fully aware that celebrities are human beings and well, it’s just a job. Doesn’t mean that for me, I can’t be afraid. It’s that whole sense of this is someone that I watch on my television screen and I feel like I know a part of them and all of the sudden, you really have to separate the two.
TBH, I feel like I have seen everything that Nyambi Nyambi has been in, though I know I haven’t. But I have loved him in the things I have seen him in – which basically equates to Mike & Molly and Night Court. But those two things have been such a part of my life, that I appreciate feeling like I know him.
And I am not complaining about it. The man has been in two iconic shows. Two shows that have shaped part of so many lives. So I wanted to know what he learned from it. He seemed to be the type of guy that wouldn’t notice what a moment it was, because he’s forever humble.
“What I’ve learned about being on both shows– that first show, Mike & Molly, was a crash course in ensemble comedy. To work with such an amazing cast and being able to just watch and learn from Melissa McCarthy to Billy Gardell, to Swoosie Kurtz, to Katy Mixon, to Reno Wilson, to Lou Mestillo, to Rondi Reed, to Cleo King. Being able to listen to them and watch them play and do their thing and figure out how I fit in.” he said. You could notice his love for the show and for his fellow castmates, “Working with the great Jim Burrows. Jim Burrows taught me a lot. That was great. Every time I talk to Billy about it, Billy is like, he would pick some baseball team and say, the ’96 Yankees or something, a World Series team where everybody who went up to bat was a threat.”
He continued, “Any time somebody had their chance to be up there and we needed to play, they hit it out the park. That’s something that I took away from that. When doing this show, this show has been great because I feel like I can just play and not worry about being, am I funny? Or worry about, am I doing a good job? I can just be. I can just listen. Again, in listening, learn and give, and just be a part of something that, again, is an iconic show that I don’t have to do much other than be present and available, and joyful, and ready for anything. It’s great. It’s been great.”
The thing about Nyambi is that he just makes you feel comfortable from the moment that he gets on the screen. He told me about the people that he knew with the same last name as me. He smiles and you feel comfortable telling him anything.
He’s made an impression on a lot of people, including the ones that he works with. His character, Wyatt, may be filled with sarcasm and sometimes a lot of gumption, but it works. He kicks a** every time he’s on the screen, and that has led to him becoming a series regular. But why does Wyatt fit in so well with everyone?
Nyambi smiles at me and say, “The reason why I think he fits in so well is that, Wyatt has said it, he’s taken on so many different jobs and has met so many different people, and the fact that I may have run into any number of these characters at some point in New York City. I think my relationship to people and how you just have to be an open and, again, ready-for-anything type of guy.”
He continues by saying, “I think whenever a situation comes up, I’m like, I got it. I’ve seen this before because of this experience that I had. When we had an issue, we had something with a hand, like was a printed hand, or a Xerox hand, or whatever, I’m like, “I can help you out. I was a stage manager. We’re the Meryl Streep of hand puppets.” You know what I mean? Anything, I got you. I got you. It’s fun to be someone who has so much experience willing to do anything, willing to try anything once. I love that.”
And I am sitting there staring at the screen, wondering if he knows how charming he is. He just talks with such ease, and such passion for his craft. Who can not be inspired by that? This girl is.
It makes me wonder if he’s anything like his character. Wyatt has the level of pettiness that I hope to achieve in my life. Nyambi doesn’t seem like the type of man that is petty.
Though I could be wrong, who knows. I ask what parts of Nyambi are more like Wyatt and which parts of him aren’t. As usual he’s got a smile and says, “Wyatt wants to see– he wants to see the best for everyone, which is me. I want to see the best for everyone. Then I think the thing that’s challenging for me is that Wyatt is willing to try everything once. I am not. Because I look at that and I’m like, no, I could die doing that, so I won’t do that. [laughs] Wyatt’s like, oh, okay. I might die doing that. Let’s try it. I love that. I love to be able to play someone that is fearless, whereas I am full of fear. Which is why I love acting.”
And he finishes off by saying, “You get to play characters that you ultimately will– where you’re like, no, stay away from third rail. Wyatt’s like, but why? Why? I also like the fact, the thing that’s similar to he and I are, when something’s ridiculous, is calling it out as that, as ridiculous, and having fun and relishing in the ridiculousness of what’s happening in front of you. I love listening. I love the game of listening, and especially on this show, because there’s so much ridiculous things happening. Just to listen, and in a lot of ways think like the audience in some ways.”
With that I can’t help but smile. We’re glad we got a chance to listen to him.
The new Night Court is available to stream now on Peacock.